Shielding device for driving tools



Oct. 18, 1960 n. TEMPLE ErAL 2,956,283

SHIELDING DEVICE Foa DRIVING 'IooLs Filed June 12, 1957 'fin INVENTOR Rose-er TEMPLE mvv BY Eeufsr E. 72'MPLE 725m harms-rs United States Patent SHIELDING DEVICE FOR DRIVING TOOLS Robert Temple, Swissvale, and Ernest E. Temple, Murraysville, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 12, 1957, Ser. No. 665,221

4 Claims. (Cl. 1-44.5)

rIhis invention relates to shielding devices for explosively actuated driving tools to protect the operators.

In driving studs and the like into masonry walls or iloors by means of explosively actuated driving tools, small chips or akes of the Wall may be dislodged by the impact and iiy back against the operator of the tool with considerable force. There also are cases where a fastening element has, for some reason, not gone into a wall properly, but has bounced or ricocheted back against the operator. Even when driving fasteners into wooden studs, such as two by fours, there is need for protection of the Workman.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a shielding device for explosively actuated driving tools, which is rotatable into diiferent positions, which is formed from shield members held together without the use of separate fastening members, which is adjustable in shape, and which serves as an adapter for connecting other elements to the tools.

In accordance with this invention, a shallow shield cup has a at sided circular base and an integral side wall projecting forward from only its curved side. The base is provided with an opening concentric with the side Wall, which is adapted to receive the front end of the barrel of an explosively actuated driving tool. Means is provided for connecting the cup to the tool. The inner side of the cup side wall is provided with a groove extending from end to end of the wall. This groove slidably receives a peripheral rib on a at sided circular plate that is rotatably disposed in the cup. The rib and groove therefore hold the plate and cup together. The plate has an opening registering with the cup opening so that the barrel can extend through it. When the plate is turned into one position in the cup, the at side of the plate coincides with the flat side of the cup base to give the shield a at side that will allow the tool to be used closer to the corner of a room than otherwise would be the case. The plate is removable from the cup by moving the plate out into the gap in the cup side Wall and then lifting the plate from the cup. A spring-pressed member may be provided for holding the plate in any desired position in the cup.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a hout view of our shielding device;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, partly in section, showing the device mounted on the front end of an explosively actuated driving tool ready to be tired;

Fig. 3 is a view the same as Fig. 1, except that the shield plate has been yrotated 180 in the cup;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the device showing the shield plate being removed from the cup;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a modiiied element of the shielding device, and

Fig. 6 is a reduced longitudinal section through another attachment.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, a sleeve 1 is rotatably mounted in the tubular front end 2 of an explosively actuated driving tool, such, for example, as the one disclosed in our copending patent applicatiom Serial No. 651,718, filed April 9, 1957, now Patent No. 2,930,042, granted March 29, 1960. Extending through this sleeve and projecting from its front end is the barrel of the tool, which consists of a tubular body 3, on the front end of which a barrel head 4 is removably mounted by means of a split spring ring 5. The head preferably is magnetized, so that a washer can be held in it. The barrel body is spaced from the sleeve, but the head projects between them and engages both. The head is shown in ring position, telescoped into the tool.

Permanently mounted on the front end of sleeve 1ViSl a shield, which can have the shape shown in Fig. 1 when viewed from the front and which will be referred to herein as circular with a flat side. The shield is formed primarily from two superimposed metal members. The outer or rear member is in the general form of a shallow cup having a hat-sided circular base 8, from only the curved side of which an integral side Wall 9 projects forward a short distance. The inner side of this wall is provided with a groove 10 extending from end to end of the Wall for a purpose that will be described presently. The cup base is provided withan opening 11 that is concentric With the grooved side wall, and which receives the frontend of the sleeve. Disposed in the cup at against the base is a flat sided circular plate 12 that has a central opening 13 registering with the cup opening behind it. This plate is partially encircled by an integral rib 14 that projects slidably into the cup groove 10, so

i that the plate will be held in the cup and yet be permitted to rotate therein.

As shown in Fig. l, when the plate is turned into one position in the cup, its at side will coincide or be flush with the flat side of the cup, thereby giving the shield a flat side that will permit the tool to be used closer to the corner of a room than would be the case if the shield always were round. At other times the shield can be made round for maximum protection by turning the plate until its ilat side is inside the cup, as shown in Fig. 3.

To keep the plate from accidentally turning in the cup, the friction of the plate against the inner surface of the cup is increased by a spring-pressed member bearing against the plate. Preferably, for this purpose the base of the cup is provided with a small hole 16 beside its central opening, and a pin 17 is slidably mounted in this hole and projects from the back of the cup. The pin is pressed forward against the back of the plate by a spring, most suitably a curved leaf spring 18 that is compressed between the back of the shield and the front end of the tool, as shown in Fig. 2. The friction of the pin against the plate and the plate against the front Wall of the cup groove will impede turning of the plate in the cup.

Of course, it is necessary to assemble the shield plate and cup originally, and it also is desirable to be able to separate them easily so that a dierent form of shield can be produced. In order to remove the plate from the cup, the two parts are turned into the positions shown in Fig. 4, after barrel head 4 has been removed, and then the plate can be moved sideways through the gap in the side wall of the cup until rib 14 is removed from most of groove 10. The plate is then tilted away from the cup and pulled out of it. These movements are reversed to insert the plate in the cup. While the plate is separated from the cup, the form of the shielding device can be changed by attaching a different element to the cup. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, a shielding element for a wooden stud may be used. This element consists of a ilat plate 20 having the same size and shape as plate 12, but secured to the outside of the web of a short channel-shaped member 21 that will straddle a two by Patented Oct. 18, 19,64()- Because of the added thickness of the channel web, it

may be necessary to substitute forbarrel head 4 a slightly longer head. 'Y The channel servesV toA centerthe 'end VofV the barrel on a stud. v Y' g The attachment shown in'Fig. 6 is to enable the tool toY be used in restricted areas that the shielding `device is too large to enter. An extension is therefore provided. It includes a flat sided circular plate 25 like plate 12 for insertion in the cup. Projecting rigidly from the front of this plate is an extension tube 26, inrwhich a barrel extension 27 is slidably mounted. The barrel extension can be slid far enough forward in the tube to prevent it from interfering with insertion of plate 25 in the cup.Y Then the barrel extension is pushed back varound the main barrel in place of head 4 until a shoulder 28 in the extension engages the front end of the barrel. They are held together by snap ring 5. The extension projects from the front end of tube 26 far enough to permit the `tool to be actuated. A collar 29 on the front end of the extension prevents it from sliding out of the `tube when not attached to the tool. ByV permanently mounting the barrel extension in the tube, the extension cannot be Yused alone, which would enable a person -toV use the tool as a gun. 'Ihe collar may be magnetized to hold a washer in the end ofthe barrel.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as speciically illustrated and described.

. We claim:

l. A shielding device for an explosively actuated driving tool, comprising a shallow shield cup having a llat sided circular base with an integral side wall projecting forward from only its curved side, the inner side of said wall being provided with a groove extending from end to end of the wall, the base being provided with an opening concentric with said Wall, a mounting sleeve having a front end rigidly connected to the cup coaxial with said opening, and a at sided circular shield plate rotatably disposed in the cup and having an opening registering with said cup opening, all of the sleeve being located behind the plate, said plate being provided with a peripheral rib slidably mounted in said groove to hold the plate and cup together, and the at side of the plate coinciding with the at side of the cup base when the plate and cup are in one predetermined position relative yto each other, the distance across the at side of the cup base between the ends of said sidewall being great enough to permit removal of said plate from the cup when the plateis turned into a predetermined position with one corner between said sidewall ends.

2. A shielding device for an explosively actuated d1ivlng tool, comprising a shallow shield cup having a at sided circular base with an integral side wall projecting forward from only its curved side, the inner side of said wall being provided with a groove extending from end 4 l to end of the wall, the base being provided with an opening concentric with said wall adapted to receive the front end of the barrel of said tool, and a at sided circular shield plate rotatably disposed in the cup and having an opening registering with said cup opening, said plate being provided with a peripheral rib slidably mounted in said groove to hold the plate and cup together, and the at side of the plate coinciding with the flat side of the cup base when the plate and cup are in one predetermined position relative to each other, the dis-V tance across the flat side of the cup base between the ends of said sidewall being great venough to permit removal of said plate from the cup when the plate is turned into a predetermined position with one corner between said sidewall ends, a tube projecting from the front of said shield plate in line with said openings, and a barrel extension slidably mounted in said tube and projecting from its opposite ends. j

3. A shielding device for an explosively actuated driving tool, comprising a shallow shield cup having a ilat sided circular base with an integral side wall projecting forward from only its curved side, the inner side of said wall being provided with a groove extending from end to end of the wall, the base being provided with an opening concentric with said wall adapted to receive the front end of the barrel of said tool, and a liat sided circular shield plate rotatably disposed in `the cup and having an opening registering with said cup opening, said plate being provided with a peripheral rib ,slidably mounted in said groove to hold the plate and cup together, and the flat side of the plate coinciding with the at side of the cup base when `the `plate and cup are in one predetermined position relative to each other, the distance across the flat side of the cup base between the ends of said sidewall being great enough to permit removal of said plate from the cup when the plate is turned into a predetermined position with one corner between said sidewall ends, a tube projecting from the front of said shield plate in line with said openings, and a barrel extension slidably mounted in said tube and projecting from its opposite ends, and through said openings and normally from the back of the cup, said extension being slidable forward in the tube far enough to withdraw the extension from said cup opening.

4. A shielding device according to claim 3, inciuding a mounting sleeve secured to the cup around said cup vopening and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the rear portion of said extension being slidably mounted in said mounting sleeve and adapted to receive the front end of said barrel and space it from the mounting sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

